Retro Report #18 INSANITY!!!

I was an invitee to Revel’s $50k blackjack tournament this past Saturday 6/29/2013 and the following happened:

-After winning my table in the first round, I anxiously awaited Round 2

-In the second round, the shoe started and the button shifted to the 3rd out of 6 seats

-Dealer deals, player next to me has 3k up splits 9’s for total of four hands including a double down-I stay on 14 against dealer 5-Dealer then mistakenly skips first base and second seat and proceeds to turn his card (7) over and deal himself a card (7) for total of 19

-First base and second seat immediately chimed in that the dealer skipped them-Tournament supervisor says they should burn a card – another supervisor. says they should offer the card to the next person and, if they don’t want it, to the next person-Most at table stated that allowing the two players to not only see the dealer’s hole card but to also see the next card out gave them an unfair advantage that other players didnt have (the shift manager then came and said it is an unwritten rule as to how a tournament is run and that ultimately it will be unfair to some) – we all reminded him that although that would be the way to handle it in a real game against the house, this was a tournament and we are playing against the others at the table and it was a very unfair advantage

-Well, first base with a 15 does not want a 7 and stays -Second seat who was originally splitting 6’s took the split back and took the 7 for a 19-Dealer hits his 12 with an 8 for a 20

-Of course, the guy who didnt split his 6’s went to the final table and the participants there decided to all split the 50k six ways for a little over 8k each

-The Shift Manager Paul spoke with the players’ whose chances at winning were sabotaged by the casino ruling and it was stated that it was an “unwritten rule” that offering the card to the next player after a misdeal is “how it’s done” – the players asked to see the written rules as filed with the DGE and he reiterated it was a “custom” and not written down.

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Another player from the table (who has since become a friend), wrote the following email to the Revel (after I sent the above email to them):

Good Morning Mr. ZZZ,

I don’t know if you have received this email or not so I wanted to forward it to you..

I am one of the parties that discussed the Blackjack Tournament issue with you on Saturday evening.. The other person that discussed this with you is the one that drafted this email to Revel.. I would like to add to this email..

First of all, I am attaching a copy of the rules that were handed out to the players on Saturday.. I have placed an asterisk next to a rule that applies to this situation..

I am sure that you remember the circumstances and your explanation. Both you and your floor people said that the hand had to be played out according to asking everyone about if they wanted the next card or not. According to your rules sheet that was handed out, your explanation and the way this hand was played out was not correct. Your rules clearly state that in the event of human error, the hand shall be void.. No questions, no discussions but void. Your staff did not even refer to the rules to possibly see if it was covered in the rules. How can that be? You yourself said that you were certain how the hand should have been handled and you did not even look at the rules.. Again, I ask how can you have been certain yet turned out to be wrong?

Not only did the staffs decision give an unfair advantage to several of the players in the tournament as well as a disadvantage to some of the players that were not given the same benefit, it also was clearly the wrong decision and did not follow your own posted rules of the tournament. This is not right.

I have been a very good and loyal player to Revel ever since its opening.. Have brought many guests there and recommended your resort to many more. I don’t ask for anything when I visit.. I choose to play there and only ask for a fair chance to win. I enjoy the resort, the atmosphere, the service. Everything about your resort is first class. .This situation, however, changes my feelings. The decision of the staff and yourself clearly did not give me a fair chance to win. I actually watched the last hand of the table that I was playing at to see how it played out.. Had the decision been correctly made, I would have had that fair chance to compete and win..

It is my opinion that Mr. blackchipdiary and myself should both be included in the winners share of the tournament, about $8300 per person. You want the public to perceive your resort as the place to play and gamble, you need to make this situation right.

I hope to hear back from you today.. As of this morning, I have not heard from anyone about this situation, including your vice president..

Thank you for your time.

Mr. X

The Rules:

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Revel responded:

To Mr. X and Mr. blackchipdiary:

Thank you for sending me the email. I will investigate the circumstances around the tournament and respond by Wednesday.

I am sorry for the situation . I would very much like to maintain our relationship with you as a Revel customer.

Sincerely :

Mr. YYY

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Our response:

Mr. YYY – thank you for your response – there was a second email sent by Mr. X on my behalf and his wherein the actual written rules handed out to the participants was included as an attachment. Said written rules stated “In the event of a malfunction due to mechanical or human error, the hand shall be considered void.” Clearly, the supervisors did not even consult these rules, nor did Mr. ZZZ, who informed us of the “unwritten rule” of continuing the hand.

Clearly, Mr.X and I were at an extremely unfair disadvantage and Revel went against its own unwritten rules. As Mr. X stated, both he and I should be given the same remuneration that the winners did – an even share of the final table’s prize (appx. $8300). I look forward to your response and to Revel doing the right thing.

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About three days later I received the following email from Mr. X:

Mr. blackchipdiary,

I just got a call from Revel.. They admitted they were wrong and offered each of us $500 in comps.. I told him that I would think about it but that I thought that was a low offer considering the circumstances.. I am supposed to speak to them again this afternoon.. What are your thoughts? Myself, I think that offer is short of what is deserved.. I am thinking more along the lines of $2500 minimum… Since they are talking comps, it really does not hurt them at all..

Let me know your thoughts..

Mr. X

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I responded to Mr. X as follows:

I have not received any call as of yet but I trust you to negotiate on my behalf. I would like to know what they mean when they say “comps” – is that some sort of match play or direct bet? or is it merely I can eat $500 worth of food? I already get comps for food and free rooms? I agree that we should get the $8300 cash or, at a minimum, the lowest prize for the final table, $1,500 cashHowever, if it is comps, that is meaningless to Revel, especially in light of the bad press that their written rules are basically worthless since they don’t stand by themAs such, $2,500 in slot play or some sort of direct bet coupons (like 25 $100 bets at the tables) (NOT match play as that merely forces us to bet $2,500 of our own money to take advantage of it) would work for me.What are your thoughts?

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Mr. X responded:

Mr. blackchipdiary,

I believe the offer is for cash/comps to be used at Revel.. That was my point also, doesn’t really cost them anything and we both already get comps for room and food.

I tend to agree that the offer should be a cash offer or the equivalent of cash in direct bets or slot play and I think that $500 is to low an offer.. He did apologize and admitted that it was their mistake which is something that no one did on Saturday night..

He told me that I could speak to him later but he didn’t think he would change his offer to me.. Said that my other option would be to file a formal complaint with the gaming commission..

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My response:

Revel cannot seem to get out of it’s own way. I think we should be allowed to use it for gaming. As you previously stated, isn’t their new slogan “Gamblers Wanted”…?

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Mr. X’s response:

I agree.. This could easily be resolved by them..

I am going to request $2500 in cash or the equivalent. May also request to be upgraded to Pearl status for the remainder of the year.. That doesn’t cost them anything and may provide some additional perks.. You may already have Pearl status but I am at the Beach level..

I would probably accept $1500 cash as my minimum since that was last place money..

I think the guy that called me was Joe something.. Did you get the VP’s name on Saturday?

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My ‘prophetic’ response:

I did not get the VP’s name. I agree with the Pearl status for rest of year (I am beach as well) and $1500 cash minimum – this would really satisfy me and go a long way to cleaning off some of the tarnish on Revel’s reputation in my eyes. If Revel cannot afford $3k between us then they are in worse shape than I thought.

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Our considered response to Revel’s above offer of $500, drafted by Mr. X:

Good Afternoon Mr. YYY,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I really appreciate it.. I am sure youare very busy and have many things to take care of other than calling me.

You know the situation and you know how both Doug and I feel about it. Whatmay not have been explained was how upsettingthis was at the time to everyone and how much time this has taken. My wifewas up most of the night because she was so worked up about it.. Anyway,what is done is done. Now, how can it be rectified?

I appreciate your offer of $500 but I do not feel that is sufficient. Welost out on the chance at a much larger prize through no fault of our own. Iam not even sure if I would have agreed with everyone at the final table tosplit the purse as I probably would have liked to play for the $25k firstplace money. That being said, I feel that a fair offer to both Doug andmyself would be a cash offer of $2500 each as well as an upgrade in Revelcard status to Pearl for the remainder of the year. I am not asking forfirst place money or last place money or now not even the amount that eachperson received at the final table. This seems reasonable and fair to me..This would certainly do a lot to correct the circumstances from Saturdaynight that we cannot go back and change. While it doesn’t give us the chanceto compete for the $25k first prize, I would feel as though Revel at leasttried to make a bad situation good. And, lets face it, Revel would stillhave the chance to compete for our gaming dollars and probably get the $2500back from both of us many times over..

Please let me know your thoughts. I appreciate your time and a quickresponse..

Sincerely,

Mr. X and Mr. blackchipdiary

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Revel’s response:

Hi-I realize that you are unhappy but I this is what we are offering. Thanks

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At this point in time, we took Mr. ZZZ’s advice and submitted our original email (first one in this post) to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement while also sending Mr. ZZZ the following:

Dear Mr. ZZZ:

Again, thanks for getting back to me. Your prompt response is reallyappreciated.I am very disappointed in your response and feel that is not at all what Iwould consider to be fair. It is disturbing tosee that you or your company does not feel as though they need to make thissituation right. An offer of $500 is basically a couple of dinners there. Idon’t feel like we are asking for the world (or even what we should begetting) so I don’t really understand or agree with your position.Considering that you have already said that it was a mistake by your people,it seems like you would be more open to trying to satisfy some players inyour casino. I am not trying to be difficult and would like to continue tomake the Revel my casino of choice, but this situation has certainly left abad taste. As I know you are aware, we have a lot of choices where we canspend our gaming dollars and this situation makes it difficult to chooseRevel over many casinos, many of which are more convenient.Seems to me that the Revel is basically taking a “take it or leave it”approach and that is obviously very disturbing. Makes you wonder how muchthat Revel is really interested in and believes in their new slogan of“Gamblers Wanted”.I believe there must be some type of middle ground that we can resolve thisissue and move on..Sincerely,

Mr. X and Mr. blackchipdiary

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A few days later this response came in from Revel:

HI-I can get you guys 3months pearl status in addition to the $500 cash comp.Thanks

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While this was ongoing – Revel marketing attempted to distract us by sending us this email about a “meet’n’greet”:

We were distracted but not deterred in our quest for casino justice:

A few days later, prior to the July 4th weekend, I sent the following:

Mr. ZZZ – I Wanted to follow up regarding the incident at the blackjacktournament the other weekend. In your prior email to me you stated we would havea resolution by Wednesday today I have yet to hear from anyone at REVEL.The other player involved, Mr. X, had been in communication with Mr.YYY and I asked Mr. X to negotiate on my behalf. However, we have yet tohear back as to when the $500 resort dollars snd 3 month upgradr to Pearlstatis will occur. i will be coming to REVEL tomorrow July 4 and would likeit if all of this could be accomplished by then. Thank you.

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We finally received a response back from Mr. ZZZ’s secretary:

Dear Mr. blackchipdiary,

I apologize that you have not been given the details of the effective dates associated with your $500 in Resort Dollars and Pearl upgrade. The Resort dollars will be available to you and Mr. X and loaded into your accounts tomorrow. Your Pearl upgrades are effective tomorrow as well. All you need to do is go to the Revel Card Desk to get your new Pearl cards.

I am so sorry that this information came to you so late, but I do hope you enjoy your visit tomorrow.

All the best,

Mr. ZZZ’s secretary

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So, Mr. X and I had settled the matter for upgraded tier status and $500 in comps.

All seemed to be back to normal. However, later that day, I received the following email from an investigator at the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement:

Hello Mr. blackchipdiary:

My name is Ms. MMM and I am an investigator with New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. I received your complaint regarding the handling of a dealing irregularity during a Revel Blackjack tournament. I just wanted to confirm that you settled the matter with Revel and that you accepted their offer of an upgraded player card and $500 revel dollars and $500 cash comp. Thank you for your time and if you need to call me I can be reached at (609) 231-****.

Ms. MMMNJ Division of Gaming EnforcementState Investigator

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Well well well, Revel had informed DGE that they had awarded us upgraded tier benefits, $500 comps and $500 cash — however, that was NEVER mentioned anywhere in the email correspondence between the Revel and us — what happened?

Ms. MMM explained further:

Hi Mr. blackchipdiary,

The correspondence I received from Revel does indicate that you will also receive a $500 cash comp –it does note, however, that this cash comp is unclaimed. Next time you are on property you should inquire about this cash comp that should be noted in your account. They might have to generate the comp when you are on property. If you have any difficulty receiving this comp, please let me know and I will find out what the problem is. Thank you

Ms. MMMNJ Division of Gaming EnforcementState Investigator

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How could Mr. X and I “claim” something we never even knew about? Perhaps Revel believed DGE would not follow up directly with us?

Both Mr. X and I drove down the next day to collect the $500 cash comp before it was somehow marked “expired”.

I thank you for hanging in there with this post – was it worth the read? what would you have done?